Shock
by Aki133
Summary: A short Soul x Maka story for all of my fans
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

Cold. She was so very cold. Her heart felt like it was beating hundreds of times a second but her blood wouldn't circulate properly. Sinking. She was slowly sinking. She felt warm blood drain from her face and extremities simultaneously leaving her deathly pale and sapping what remained of her strength. Pain. So, so much pain. Her leg and hip were on fire. She gasped for breath, gulping impossibly thin gas into lungs that refused to inflate properly. Despite the cold, sweat covered her skin sending chills down her spine and added to the sickly feeling of her clammy skin.

"Maka?" Soul was somewhere in front of her, a red-eyed beacon in the world that swirled lazily before her eyes. She knew he was holding her even though shock had stolen her sense of touch.

"Soul" She almost whispered as dry nausea threatened to overwhelm her. He looked so pale and worried it made her heart ache at the sight. Her arm… where was it again? It seemed lost in the swirling, so far away and dethatched from her consciousness. She fought for control of the attachment and gained a little. It wavered dangerously as she weakly lifted her hand towards Soul's face. She made it most of the way before Soul captured it in his own hand and guided her frigid hand to his cheek.

"Why? Why did you do it? Weapons are supposed to protect their meisters, not the other way around! Stupid…" His voice broke as he trailed off. Maka smiled as best she could with so little strength. She knew his chiding was just because he cared and was worried about her. She knew he would be mad, maybe even hate her actions but she would do it all again if she had to.

"B-Because…" She gasped, her voice threatening to fail completely, " b-because…. I … I l-lov…"

"Shh, don't speak." Soul said gently as he brought a warm finger to her lips. "You're hurt but it's not that bad. Stein can take care of this no problem." He quickly explained in a shaking voice.

"You're in shock but you'll be ok." He finished, his voice strengthening with those final words.

"I'm… glad…" She whispered into his chest as he gathered her into his strong arms and began to walk at a brisk pace through the darkened streets undoubtedly towards Stein's laboratory. She didn't feel like she was going to be ok, but there was no dishonesty in Soul's voice or face so he must have believed it was true. The world swam before her eyes with renewed intensity as the dry nausea reached a critical point. Her hearing began to fade and her whole body shook with cold. She gasped deeply but it didn't relieve the sensation of drowning. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest even though she could feel her blood pressure falling. Just when she believed her suffering could get no worse, as if someone had flipped a switch, everything disappeared into darkness.

There was nothing. She was nothing. Time held no meaning, there was only the darkness. She was floating in the dark but somehow she was still vaguely aware of things happening to and around her body. She knew her body had fallen limp. She had heard Soul call for her, listened to the distant pounding of feet on cobblestone which was eventually replaced with frantic pounding and panicked voices. It was as if all this was happening in another universe that she was only just attached to, events occurring that had nothing to do with her and yet everything to do with her at the same time. The sensation of her numb body being roughly laid on something hard and flat was the last vague sensation before she fell completely into nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

After an undetermined amount of time, the weight of the darkness began to lessen. Eventually, she even regained the sensation of being in her body. She felt like she was laying on something very hard and cool. A bright light from a singular and very close source cast a red hue in her closed eyes. She felt cold, numb, and sore as she tested her body's movements. She cracked her emerald eyes to investigate her surroundings. What she saw would have made her scream if she had the strength.

Professor Stein sat not more than a foot away in his signature rolling chair, eyeing her closely from behind the opaque of his glasses. A bright, low lamp sat immediately behind him and shone over his shoulder bathing Maka in bright phosphorescent light. He sat perfectly still as he observed her, his sharp features highlighted by shadows cast by the lamp. A single lit cigarette hung loosely from his dry and chapped lips. Cigarette smoke twisted and rose from the narrow tip to mingle unpleasantly with the smells of formaldehyde and disinfectant creating a thick and oppressive atmosphere.

It took only a quick glance to know that she was alone in a dungeon-like lab, with Shibusen's resident psychopath. They stared at each other for a few, breathless moments. Then Stein reached up, removed his cigarette and exhaled deeply before beginning.

"Finally awake I see." He started before taking another long drag. "You've been unconscious for almost a day." Maka continued to stare at Stein as the uneasy silence fell between them again. Exasperated, he took his finished cigarette from his teeth and smothered it against the nearest flat surface.

"I'm not going to dissect you." He said in an annoyed voice as he swiveled around in his chair and began to roll smoothly towards some rusted metal cabinets on the other side of the lab. "At least, not yet…" He added in a maniacal tone over his shoulder; as a joke of course. Maka paled a little at his comment. It wasn't that she didn't trust the Doctor, far from it actually. She just had a harder time trusting his control over his madness when she was alone deep within his laboratories. She didn't have long to think about it before he continued in a more compassionate voice.

"How are you feeling?" Maka's muteness took another moment to break since it took that long to sink in that she had been asked a question.

"Better. I'm sore and my leg hurts a bit but other than that I think I'm ok." Stein nodded knowingly as she spoke.

"Yes, you suffered a nasty break and you went into shock. The broken bones themselves were not life threatening but shock can be very dangerous. Soul only just got you here in time." Stein muttered mostly to himself as he rummaged noisily through his cabinets.

"I sent Soul upstairs to get some sleep, although it proved a challenging task. He was by your side all night." He added awkwardly over his shoulder, like an afterthought. He seemed to find what he was looking for, a small bottle of white pills, and rolled back to Maka.

"I set the bones and I expect them to heal quickly but you will need to walk with at least a cane for a few weeks and take two of these pain pills daily." He prescribed with the air of one commenting on the weather as he passed her the pills. Just as she was examining the tiny bottle, a distant banging echoed through the stony room. The sound sharpened into hurried footsteps which approached rapidly until the wooden door across the room flew open with a defining bang.

Stein lazily turned his head to look over his shoulder at the pale youth as if he had not just barged into his lab as though the world was ending.

"How's Mak—"

"Ahhh, Soul! Perfect timing." Stein smoothly interrupted the teen's half-spoken inquiry. "I am certain Maka will make a full recovery and I was just about to send her home provided she has you to look after her while she recovers."

Soul tipped his head in a shallow nod and marched across the room to take his place beside his meister. Gingerly, he wrapped his arms around Maka and helped her to her feet while being careful to avoid her injuries. She wobbled a little as she got used to her feet again but she remained steady after a moment or two.

"Can you walk?" Soul asked, concern obvious in his voice.

"Yes." She answered simply as she turned and gave him a wide, re-assuring smile. "Let's go home."


End file.
